Lighthouse Club Australia has been very active in the past year and with Ball Extravaganzas being held in Brisbane and Perth, the following assistance was provided to people involved in the construction industry.
How we help
MATES IN CONSTRUCTION
This year Western Australia Chapter has once again been able to provide support to MATES in Construction WA with a donation of $5,000 being presented to Godfrey Baronie of MATES in Construction WA at the Annual Ball in August 2017. This will further support their programme to help younger people learn the skills needed to become mentally resilient in later life, and to know when and where to go to get help for them, their colleagues and their loved ones.
The Queensland Chapter made a $2,500 donation to Mates in Constructions at their annual Ball in August 2017. This was for their rural and remote workers programme. For more information on the work they do please see: http://matesinconstruction.org.au/
HAPPY HUB KAMPOT, CAMBODIA
A $5,000 donation was made to Happy Hub Kampot for the set-up of a traineeship program in Cambodia. The programme allows uneducated youths to learn construction skills so they can rebuild their communities and provide housing for struggling families. For more information on the work they do please see: http://www.happyhubkampot.org/
TAFE SKILLSTECH BURSARIES
Lighthouse Club Australia has now established a new bursary programme that has been set-up in conjunction with TAFE Skillstech to assist struggling, but very dedicated TAFE students to complete their apprenticeships in the Construction industry .
The first of these awards was presented to two Queensland TAFE apprentices at the annual ball in Brisbane in August 2017. They each received a $2,500 bursary to assist with the payment of TAFE tuition fees and also the purchase of necessary equipment for their particular trade.
Two TAFE NSW apprentices have also been the recipients of a $2,500 bursary and these donations were presented in December 2017.
We look forward to supporting further deserving students with bursaries in 2018.
PREVIOUS DONATIONS
Brisbane chapter donates $5,000 to MATES in Construction
Every week 36 Australian men take their own lives, several of them will be construction workers.
Research tells us that construction workers are six times more likely to die from suicide than an accident at work and apprentices are up to two times more likely to take their own lives than other young Australia men.
It is from these concerning statistics that the construction industry in Australia worked together to build MATES in Construction. The program originated in Queensland through the support of the Building Employees Redundancy Trust (BERT) and has now grown to be provided in four Australian states – Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
MATES in Construction provides a community development program of suicide prevention and
mental health and wellbeing to construction workersacross Australia. The program is a three tiered approach to suicide prevention where the focus is on the worker and how they can help their MATES and along the way help themselves. A 24 hour hotline is also available to anyone associated with the construction industry.
To date there are now 7,000 volunteers on construction sites across Australia who are trained to recognise the signs a co-worker isn’t well. And it’s working. Since the program was introduced in Queensland in 2007, suicide rates in the construction industry have fallen by nearly 8%.
The Lighthouse Foundation discovered MATES in Construction and the work done with young apprentices in the construction industry.
We were very thankful to the Lighthouse Foundation for supporting MATES in Construction by donating $5,000 to the Life Skills Tool Box program. This donation has meant that MATES in Construction has been able to continue delivering the Life Skills Tool Box program to Queensland construction apprentices.
The Life Skills Tool Box program helps equip apprentices in areas such as communication and relationships, financial literacy, drug and alcohol education, suicide prevention and mental health, teambuilding, leadership, conflict resolution, bullying and goal setting. The aim of the program is to increase the resilience skills of young workers so they can survive the pressures that come from both their work in the construction industry and life in general.
Queensland construction apprentices have suicide rates two and half times the national average for young people their age. The Life Skills Tool Box, in conjunction with the MATES in Construction program, is an effective initiative that is tackling the high rates of suicide and the issues that lead to poor mental health.
So far the program has been conducted with electrical, plumbing and carpentry apprentices, as well apprentices in the fire protection industry. It is also being conducted with trainee riggers, scaffolders and concreters.
Thank you Lighthouse Foundation for your donation and support. The members of the Lighthouse Foundation in Queensland have been so welcoming and accommodating to MATES in Construction.
Perth chapter donates $5,000 to Clontarf Aboriginal College
"I would like to personally thank you and the Lighthouse Club for your generous donation of $5000 towards PPE gear for Clontarf Aboriginal College students in our Trade Training Centre. I look forward to an ongoing partnership to provide our Indigenous students with opportunities in the Construction Industry.
Anne has told me she had made some wonderful networks for our students in Vocational Education and Training at the Lighthouse Club Ball.
We will certainly arrange a time for the Lighthouse Club to come visit our College and take the opportunity to see the students in action wearing their PPE with the Lighthouse Club Logo on it."
Troy Hayter, Principal of Clontarf College.